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WITNESSES:

J. E. WEBSTER.

PAD FOR SHEET SEPARATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1914.

Patented July 1, 1919..

\ ATTORNEY elevational view JOHN E. WEBSTER, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING GOMPAIN' Y, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

PAD FOR SHEET-SEPARATING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1914. Serial No. @29,403.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, JOHN .E. WEBSTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pads for Sheet-Separating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sheet separating machines, and particularly to machinesof the type in which a stack of sheets or a block of laminated material is pressed firmly against a table, the sheets being separated successively from the bottom of the stack or block by means of pushers or knives, and it has specialr'eference to pads or fingers for holding the stack or block in place during the separating process.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a plan view of a machine for splitting mica blocks into thin sheets. Fig. 2 is an of the pad or finger knives remove successively the sheets restthe stack 01' ing upon the table. Such Weights or presser fingers have heretofore taken the form of metallic or other solid weights pressing, either with their own weight or under the impulse of a spring, upon the top of the stack or block. I have devised an air-cushioned pad for the purpose above indicated which is adapted to press yieldingly upon block and conform to any irregularities that may exist upon its surface.

This construction is particularly advantageous for use in connection with mlca splitting machmes 1n Wl1lCl1 a block of mica of irregular shape and with a more or less uneven surface contour is held against a flat table and split into thin sheets by means of knives that move upon the table and remove successive sheets from the, bottom of the block.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may now be made to the ac oompanying drawing, in which a standard of the machine shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a side elevatlonal new,"

1 supports a table 2 Which is adapted to receive, upon its horizontal surface, a stack of sheets or laminations 3, which may constitute a block of mica. A. vertical shaft 4 is supported centrally in the standard 1 and is caused to rotate in any convenient manner, for example, by means of a motor 5. One end of the shaft 4 projects above the surface of the table 2, and, rigidly fixed thereon, is a disk 6 to which are secured knives 7 that are adapted to revolve with the disk 6, and, passing beneath the block 3, to remove successive sheets from the bottom thereof. In Fig. 1, only one of the knives 7 is shown, the supports for the remaining knives being indicated at 8 and 9.

The stack 3 is held firmly against the table 2 by means of a pad 10 the structural de-' tails of which are best shown in Fig. 3. The .pad consists of a body portion 11, formed from a section of tubing of elastic material, such as rubber, the ends of the tube being closed by means of clamps 12 and 13. The

clamps are attached to any suitable support, such as a bracket 14:, and this bracket is supported on the table 2 insuch a position that the body portion 11 will rest upon the block 3. The body portion 11 of the presser 10 should be somewhat longer than the block 3, as shown in Fig. 2'. If desired, yielding means, such as a spring, may be em loyed to increase the pressure with which t e pad 10 rests upon the block 3.

It will be readily understood that the pad 10 exerts a yielding pressure upon the block 3, and that, by reason of its structure, it adapts itself to any irregularities that may exist upon the surface of the block. This form of pad has the further advantage that the stack or block is restrained from lateral movement by reason of the fact that the yielding pad is pressed down around the edges of the block and thus, in a sense, embraces it. The restraining efiect thus produced is much greater than that produced by a flat presser or pad of the same weight as the yielding ad.

, It is obvious t iat my device may be varied in many particulars without departing from the spirit and intent of my invention, and T therefore desire that no limitations be imposed unless indicated in the appended claims. I i

I claim as my invention:

1. A work-holding device for sheet-sepa 110 Patented July 1, 1919.

rating machines comprising a table adapted to support a stack of sheets, means for moving successive sheets from the bottom of the stack and an air-cushioned pad adapted to rest upon the top of the stack.

2. A work-holding device for sheet-separating machines comprising a table adapted to support a stack of sheets, means for moving successive sheets from the bottom of the stack and an air-cushioned pad adapted to rest upon the top of the stack,-the said pad comprising a hollow body of elastic material.

3. A work-holding device for sheet-sepa rating machines comprising a table adapted to support a stack of sheets, means for removing successive sheets from the bottom of the stack and an air-cushioned pad adapted to rest upon the top of the stack, the said pad comprising an elongated hollow body of V rubber.

4. A mica-splitting machine comprislng a table for S11 iortin a block of mica. means for splitting successive sheets from the bot-ta.

tom of the block, and a pad adapted to rest upon the top of the block and conform to its surface, the said pad comprising a hollow elongated body of rubber.

A mica-splitting machine comprising a table for supporting a block of mica, means for splitting successive sheets from the bottom of the block, and a pad adapted to rest upon the top of the block and conform to its surface, the said pad comprising a hollow elongated body of rubber, means for closing the ends of the said elongated body, and means for supporting the said bod in operative relation to the \vork-supporting table.

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto subscribed my name this 31st day of March, 191-1.

7 JOHN E. WEBSTER.

\Vitnesses H. C. RANDAL,

B. B. HINES. 

